


Company

by angel1876



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Abuse, Anxiety, Depression, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Past Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-16
Updated: 2017-10-05
Packaged: 2018-12-30 10:37:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 13,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12106884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angel1876/pseuds/angel1876
Summary: It's late at night, and V has entered the chatroom. Despite your nerves, or perhaps because of them, you message him.The thing is, you haven't connected with any of the other members yet, and you don't expect he'll be any different.





	1. Chapter 1

You really should be asleep. Instead, you find yourself wide awake, restless with nothing but the mysterious phone you picked up off the road for distraction. It was lucky this one had internet, your personal cell ran out of battery within the first day, and the charger you found in Rika's place wasn't compatible so there was no chance for a recharge.

A sigh left you as you moved from your back and fourth loop of the livingroom into the bedroom to lay down. 

What a situation you'd managed to find yourself in. Called to host a party when you were never a social person to begin with, caught without any way to contact your family. You wondered if they were worried. You did kind of disappear on them, stormed off and flickered out of existence.

You hadn't even answered any of their calls, and now you couldn't. It wasn't like you had their numbers memorized.

Even after the awful things your parents said to you, a part of you felt bad for this...but mostly, you were too involved in what was going on here.

Of all the things you expected to happen when you followed a stranger's direction, this wasn't it. A fundraising group, relying on you to lead them like their old founder did. It was a lot of pressure, the stress of emailing every person they suggested never failed to make your hands shake, but it was better than the alternative. You could just leave at any time, but things were going to be awful when you got home, and for once in your life, talking to others was the easier option.

The phone, resting beside you, buzzed. 

You picked it up, opened up the app.

It read, _V has entered the chatroom._

You waited a few moments. Waiting for someone else to come on, but everyone must have been asleep, because no one came. Unease crawled up your back at the silence. You knew that the chatroom told him you were there, and though you had no reason to think him judgmental your nerves just couldn't stand the thought of him waiting for you to say something. 

"Hey." you type send. Followed by, "What are you doing up at this hour?"

You'd only spoken to V a couple of times, and most of it was when you first joined the RFA. So you hadn't gotten a chance to get a feel for him like you had for the other members.

He responded quickly. "I could ask you the same question. How are you holding up?"

"I'm doing well. You?"

"I'm am, too, thank you for asking. I just came in to check and make sure things were going as they should. It looks like you've gotten plenty of suggestions for people to invite. A dragon?"

"It was Seven's idea. Smug seems nice."

"I can't wait to meet him."

"Same."

There was a pause. A lull. You imagined he was still scanning through the conversations from earlier, and tried to be patient. A finger tapped absently at the back of the phone as you waited.

It wasn't too long before he broke the silence. "I'm glad to see you're getting along with everyone. Your arrival was a shock for all those involved, including you."

"They're nice." What else could you say? It was the truth. They were nice. You didn't want anything to happen to them, but you didn't have much of an opinion on anyone outside of that. Once the party was held, you'd probably have to leave. 

"...I was worried that you might be lonely there. You've basically been thrown into a crowd of people you don't know."

"Yeah...but it's fine."

"While I'd rather keep the RFA and the location of that apartment a secret, I've been considering allowing someone of your choice come to keep you company while all of this is happening. I trust you to pick someone reliable. Someone who won't talk about the RFA to others."

You sighed. "Thank you for your confidence, V, but I'm fine. I don't need anyone here."

"Okay. But know that it's an option if you need it."

This time you were the one not to respond. You put the phone down, laid back and closed your eyes, teeth worrying at your inner cheek. For a moment, you thought that was going to be the end of it, but then your pone buzzed again. You picked it up.

V said, "I apologize if the suggestion was unwelcome."

"You didn't do anything wrong. I just don't have anyone in particular I want here." You paused, then tried to lighten the mood by typing in, "Unless they have snacks. Then I won't have a problem with it."

"Oh, I needed to ask that, too. Are you running low on food there?"

"...yes. It's not too bad. I've got a couple days worth left, if I pace myself."

"Let me see what I can do."

"Thank you."

"I've got to go. I hope you get some sleep soon. Take care."

"You too. Rest as soon as you can. Goodbye, V."

_V has left the chatroom._

You put your phone back down.


	2. Chapter 2

It's early morning, and the only other person up with you was Seven. You supposed Jumin and Jaehee must have been awake by then, too, but considering the fact they each had responsibilities to tend to, they were almost never on the messenger at this hour.

That was fine, you preferred it that way. Not that you had anything against the two of them, it was just that Seven was by far the easiest member of the RFA to talk to. Jumin was bossy, Jaehee was distant and distrusting, Yoosung was too intense, and Zen was too flirty. They each made you uncomfortable in different ways, but Seven was different.

Of course, it was mostly because the things the two of you talked about weren't related to anything important.

"Gasp!" he said in his most recent message. "Do you really it could be the hacker? How awful! First he gets into our chat room, and now he's after the Phd. Pepper! Is there nothing this villain won't do?"

"But things'll turn out alright. I believe in you God Hacker 7! You'll protect us and the Phd. Pepper! I know you will!"

"Yes! 707, defender of justice is here! No evil doer can get past my super defense system! Even if he is a hacker, I'm going to best him at every turn."

"You could best anyone!"

"Such confidence! Your words are what give me powers, you know? Clap your hands if you believe!"

You snorted, a smile on your face at that. Instead of responding through the chat, you stood, moved out into the livingroom to look up at the camera in the corner. Tucking the phone under your arm, you clapped your hands together in a short applause. Pulling the phone back out, you red his response.

"Wow!! You actually clapped!!! I can feel my powers return to me!!"

Heh. Still kind of weird that this place was under surveillance, but you were understanding, considering the circumstances. Before you could retreat back into the bedroom, though, a loud buzz came from the door. You flinched, looking toward it, automatically deciding not to answer. You didn't answer the door at home, much less the door to an apartment that wasn't your own. 

You looked back at the phone, hoping that Seven would have seen what happened and that he'd be forthcoming with advice. He said, "You have a visitor. It's V!"

"V?"

"Huh...I was expecting him to call one of us to deal with the food problem..." He must have already read though the logs. You'd all but forgotten that conversation after falling asleep. "Anyway! It's safe to let him in. Lucky, I haven't gotten to see V in person in ages."

"Lol. Thanks. I'll see you later, then."

"Of course! I'll be getting back to my work now. Feel free to call if you need anything."  
  
The messenger read, _707 has left the chatroom._

You again turned your attention toward the door, the alarm buzzing a second time as you stood there. Right. You should answer. Steeling yourself, you put the mysterious phone in your pocket alongside your own, and made to greet your visitor. Feeling rather self conscious for a good many reasons, some of which stemmed from nerves you would have felt anyway, some of them from the fact you hadn't exactly had access to fresh clothes since coming. Soap, yes, but no clothes, so you'd just been putting everything you had back on after bathing. 

It wasn't like you'd planned on an extended stay away from home, after all. 

Luckily enough there was an unused tooth brush, alongside a tube of toothpaste, so at least your breath was taken care of.

You opened the door, and for a brief moment, looked up at the man on the other side. He was tall, to the point of towering. He wore a comfortable, casual looking outfit, loose enough to be considered baggy, and thick enough to suggest cold weather, though it was rather warm outside. A thick pair of really, really dark sunglasses rest on his face, contrasting his brighter color scheme and throwing his light blue hair into sharp relief.

You looked up at him, only to avert your gaze when you felt him looking back. Your arms folded over your chest, and you offered a quiet, "Hi..."

"Hey." he said, and you were struck by the sound of his voice. It was deep, but carried softly, calming in a way you hadn't expected. In each hand, he held several plastic bags, which he indicated by lifting them up, "It's me, V. I didn't know what you liked, so I brought a bit of everything. May I come in?"

"Uh...yes. Yeah..."

Your own voice was wavering, and though you felt like you should say more, nothing came to mind. Giving him room, you stepped aside, closing the door behind him once he was past the threshold.

V made his way into the kitchen, and you followed, ready to help him put things away. Most of what he got were things that could keep for a while, things like cereal, a few candy bars, pasta with canned sauce to go with it. There was also stuff that wouldn't keep so long, fruit, vegetables, things to be eaten immediately. A fair enough variety, one that you appreciated, and though you didn't put your gratitude in so many words, you did thank him. Hushed, a clear stutter to your voice, and much more curt than you would have liked. 

If he noticed, he didn't comment. Of course he probably did notice, and was just too polite to say anything. 

"Anytime. Everyone in the RFA is important to me, and that includes you. So I'm only happy to help." There was one bag left that he'd set aside, one that he opened up now, pulling out two plastic bowls from within. He offered one of the bowls to you, along side a plastic fork, and you could see that under the clear lid of the bowl was a rice bowl with chicken and broccoli. "Have breakfast with me?"

 "...yes. S-sure. Thank you."

You accepted the bowl, holding the sides tighter than needed to compensate for shaky hands, and went over to the kitchen table to set it down. V took the chair opposite you, wasting no time in popping the top off. You did the same, the smell from the dish hitting you all at once. It was good.

Quick to buisy yourself with eating, you glanced up at him, noting that he still wore those sunglasses, that he ate at a leisurely pace, that he seemed much more relaxed here than you were. Tension coiled within you like a spring, but you couldn't think of any topics to bring up that might break it.

He did that for you.

"It must be difficult, staying here on such short notice. I'm glad you agreed to host the party, but I can't help but consider how much of an inconvenience this must be. I hope we aren't distracting you from anything important. Work...school?"

"...nah. I'm not...not currently doing...anything, right now. You haven't interrupted much."

"I'm glad for that, at least." 

"Yeah."

"I've brought a few suggestions for people to invite. It's up to you whether you think they'd be a good fit for our party, of course, but I hope it helps."

"Thank you."

There's a pause in the conversation as you both make your way through your meal. You make an effort to keep your own pace slow to match his, not wanting to finish before he'd gotten halfway through. There was still nothing for you to say, and you instead waited for him to pick the topic.

Did he want something in particular?

He said, "...forgive me, but...Lucial informed me that during his background check, he noted that two specific numbers called your phone multiple times..."

You bit down lightly on your fork. A defensive flair sparking, though you pushed it back down. You show up in their founder's old apartment six months after her death, invade their private messenger only members of the RFA should have access too, and all of this with the explanation that you found this phone in the middle of the street and someone named Unknown told you to come. They had every right to be suspicious. 

"My parents. I...I didn't...feel like talking to them. Anyway, they can't contact me now. My phone's dead."

The worried tilt to his words was clear, "Do they know where you are?"

"No. They don't."

"If you'd like, I can get you a charger that works. You could at least let them know you're safe."

"...no. They'll want me to come home if I call them. And...I've a party to host, right?"

"If you're okay with that..."

"Mmm."

You noticed that he'd stopped eating, and tried to ignore that. He pushed what was left of his meal away, politely freeing up the space in front of him, before interlocking his fingers together and leaning on the table. You could feel his gaze on you from behind those glasses.

"...I'm sorry," you said, the phrase reflexive, without a second thought.

"Whatever for?"

"I...I don't know."

Well. That was lame. 

You were sorry for being suspicious. You were sorry for listening to Unknown. You were sorry for breaking into what was obviously a very private part of their lives, and you were sorry for scaring them.

But the words. The words eluded you.

His voice, somehow, managed to soften more, and you knew how obvious your nervousness must be. He spoke with a soothing air, the way one might speak to someone openly terrified, and you were also sorry that he felt the need to do that. This should be easier for you than it was. "I trust you, you know. I don't think you mean us harm. I believe you, when you say you don't know the hacker that led you here. I'm just trying to work out what's going on."

"...I know."

"You're not in trouble for anything."

"I know."

"Are you okay?"

"...yeah. I'm fine." You, like him, pushed your almost finished bowl to the side. Again, your arms wrapped about your chest in a self hug, and you kept your eyes adverted. 

"Please remember that if you need help with anything, the RFA is here to support you. You're doing us a favor, and despite our concerns, we do appreciate that. We wouldn't be having this party if not for you. So...if you need anything, feel free to give Luciel a call. Or Jumin. Or even myself. I can't promise I'll answer, but I will get any message you leave."

You swallowed, and nodded. "...yes, thank you."

Why did he care?

He wasn't someone who knew you. None of them knew you, not really. It'd only been a few days since you came, compared to multiple years they'd spent with each other. You weren't a part of this group. You were only a member in name, and you knew that, despite what was said, nothing was going to change because of this. After this party, you were going back home, and you highly doubted you'd be in contact with any of them again.

If this party was anything to you specifically, it was just a distraction. An excuse to put things off. 

"I'm glad we could have this talk," he said, and you glanced up in time to see him smile. "Honestly, I've been wanting to meet you, and I didn't think I'd have a chance to do so until the day of the party. This was nice, and I thank you for sharing a meal with me."

Warmth pricked at your chest at that. Nerves eased, just for a moment, and you smiled back. "It's nice to meet you, too. Thank you for coming."

V hummed, standing up, and said, "I'm afraid I've matters that need my attention, though I hate to cut this short."

"No, it's okay, I understand."

It was much easier for him to go and to restrict conversation to the chat, so you weren't upset about his departure, pleasant voice or no. You stood, and walked him out. Both bowls stayed on the table, and you were absolutely going to finish them off later. No use in throwing the rest of his bowl away if he wasn't going to finish it, after all.

Before he left, he offered you his hand to shake, a gesture you returned. His skin was warm, heat seeping into your chilled fingers briefly. Neither of you had anything close to resembling a firm grip.

"I'll see you again, later," he said.

To which you replied, "See you."

And so he left.

Once he was gone, you went through the list of emails he'd left you, and set to sending out more invitations as he'd suggested.


	3. Chapter 3

So it turns out that the apartment you were staying at had a very strict security system. You found that out the hard way when, while talking to Seven in the chat, the man suddenly panicked, told you not to move, and rushed to you. He told you that there were sensitive documents that held information on past parties, information that they couldn't risk getting leaked, and so the room was set up to explode if someone without clearance entered. The hacker had gotten you into the apartment in the first place, meaning he had the power to set the bomb off at any time. 

Seven claimed that he put the security system in place...and then forgot it existed, which is why you hadn't heard a single thing about the matter until now. 

What the fuck?

You could understand that this was an important fundraising thing, and you could understand a certain level of caution, but this? This was just a fundraiser. For charity! Wasn't this just a slight bit of overkill?

The moment Seven got there, he took out his laptop, settled into the corner, and told you to leave him alone while he worked.

"S-shouldn't we leave?" you ventured, "I mean. It'd be better to...to uh...to disarm it from far away?"

"No. I'll take care of it. Don't talk to me."

The apartment could explode. And you were just supposed to sit there. 

You were almost always a very accommodating person. You did what you were told when you were told, but there were limits. Blindly following someone into obvious danger was one of those limits. Yes, you'd come to this apartment through a strangers beckoning, but you were angry at the time, you didn't care what might have happened. Right now, you very much cared, and you didn't want to have any part of it.

While Seven was distracted with disarming the thing, you slipped out of the door, down the hall, and out of the building.

The problem was you didn't quite know what to do with yourself once you were away. It didn't feel right to just abandon the RFA now, and besides, you still didn't want to go home. With no other option, you positioned yourself a safe distance from the apartment, and pulled out your phone. 

You text Jumin first.

"The room might blow up and Seven won't leave. What should I do?"

Jumin's reply, "If he refuses to leave, then I assume he feels confident in staying. I suggest you let him work and try to relax. Perhaps a photo of Elizabeth the third might help to calm your nerves?"

And so he sent you a picture of his cat. 

So helpful. You felt so much better. 

He was trying, you supposed. After sending a quick thank you for the picture, you flipped to the only other member you could think of that might be able to help. 

"V," you wrote, "There's a bomb in the apartment I'm staying at. Seven came to disarm it, but it could go off. He won't leave. I don't think we should be here."

You sent that, and you waited.

It felt strange that everyone around you should seem so calm, though there was no reason for them to be upset. Just a crowd of nameless people, wandering about, going through their day. It was just you, standing in the middle of town, phone clutched in your hands like a lifeline. Your eyes kept on the building before you, waiting for something to happen. If the room exploded, would it be big enough for you to see out here? Was it possible that it'd gone off already, and it was confined to that one room?

You shifted your weight from side to side, restless, a hand reaching over to rub against the opposite arm.

When the phone rang, you almost dropped it. 

V's photo stared back at you as you looked down, feeling the device vibrate insistently, but you couldn't answer. Teeth clenched at your inner cheek, and you knew you needed to talk to him, but you couldn't. You couldn't bring yourself to press the button. Your skin crawled as it continued to ring, mingling with guilt as it soon went still, silence speaking volumes of this minor failure.

The idea of trying to talk to someone right now was overwhelming, and you hated that you were like this.

A moment later, and you got a text from V.

"Are you alright? Where are you right now?"

This, you could do. You responded, "I'm outside, about a block away. I'm fine, but I'm worried about Seven."

"Are you alone? You shouldn't be alone, we still don't know the hackers intentions."

"I'm sorry. I don't want to be in the apartment right now."

"I can understand that. I'm on my way."

You winced. "I'm sorry."

There was no response. Nothing for a long, long time. As minutes lengthened into hours, you started to question just how far away the man was. The idea that he was going so far out of his way to get there only made you feel worse, but there was nothing you could do about it now. 

Outright fear dulled into something akin to a mix of boredom and anxiety, of waiting for something to happen, yet hopping that it didn't. You got some food at a nearby cafe, paced the street, checked the chatroom. The other members were supportive enough, but no one could do anything. 

A text from Seven, at one point.

"Where are you??"

"I'm outside. Is the bomb disarmed?"

"Not yet. Don't go far. I'd prefer you were somewhere I can see you, but I don't have time to go chasing you down."

"I'm still in the area."

"Good."

The sun crept down, and still, you waited. 

No change in the messenger, no change in the building. By that point, you'd sat down on the sidewalk, leaning against a wall. Half napping, only to jolt yourself awake before you could doze off all the way.

You got a text from V.

"I'm in front of the apartment. Where are you?"

You glanced at the clock. It'd taken almost the entire day for him to get there. Standing, you looked across the street, and just as he said, he was there. The blue hair and sunglasses were unmistakable.

Crossing over to him, you approached, slowing down when you got close. His back was to you, and you found the word catching in your throat. You had to force the name out, "V?"

He turned to face you. "There you are. Are you okay? I was worried. I'm sorry it took so long for me to get here."

"It...I'm fine. It's fine. Why is there a bomb in the place?"

He sighed, hand raised to rub at the back of his neck. You noticed how tired he looked. Had he driven here? That must have been exhausting. "It's supposed to be a safety measure. We didn't expect it to get hacked. Have you heard from Luciel?"

"He's still working on the uh...the...the thing. The bomb."

"I shouldn't distract him then." He let out a sigh. "We can't stay out here. There's a hotel nearby, I figure we could stay there. Have you eaten?"

"...yeah."

Despite your assumption that he'd driven, V didn't lead you to any car. He just started walking down the road, and you followed. "I'm getting some stuff anyway. If you're hungry later, you're welcome to it."

"T-thank...thank you, V."

"Are you sure you're alright?"  
  
"Yeah."

As the two of you walked, you noticed he was rubbing at his eyes. The sunglasses lifted up enough so he could dig the palm of his hand against them. Though you didn't get a good look, for a brief moment, when he lowered his hand but before he readjusted the glasses, you saw a flash of red, of raw irritation.

When was the last time this man slept?

You didn't ask. 

Together, you made your way to the hotel room.


	4. Chapter 4

Seven successfully managed to get the bomb disarmed.

By all rights, it was safe to return to the apartment. The thing was, you didn't feel safe going back. You didn't doubt Seven had secured the place, but still, given what happened, you really, really didn't want to be in that room anymore.

That said, you would have gone back if they'd pushed you. It was V who spoke out the strongest, supporting your much more feeble protest. He reinforced your wishes, told you that if you didn't feel safe at the apartment, you could stay in the hotel. So long as you were behind a locked door, you should be safe from Unknown.

Most of those early hours was spent in the chatroom, you, V, and Seven negotiating with one another. Seven thought it was best you stay with him, back in Rika's old room, where the two of you could hide behind the security. V was trying to talk him into coming to the hotel instead. Seven countered by bringing up the fact that all the stuff in that apartment was confidential, they couldn't risk the hacker getting into it, and said hacker had already proven he could get into the room.

In the end, it looked like you were going to stay where you were, and Seven was going to stay where he was.

You felt bad for upsetting him, but...you were glad you didn't have to go.

During all this, you found yourself watching V as he typed. It took him a while to get his messages out, and moreover, he kept rubbing at his eyes behind the sunglasses, which he'd put on the moment he woke up. Every time you caught that little flash of his eyes, you saw that they were still red. 

Something was wrong with them. V was having a hard time seeing.

You wondered if you should offer to read everything in the chatroom for him. Would he be offended if you did that? Should you say anything or should you leave him be? You wanted to say something.

But he'd ask if he needed help, right?

You told yourself that as you sat there, fidgeting with the phone, forgotten in light of the conversation V and Seven were having. If V needed help, he would ask. These people were stronger than you, they wouldn't have the same issues with talking to people. 

Both men logged out of the messenger, and V moved from his bed over to yours, sitting down at your side.

"Now that's all worked out," he said, "I'm afraid I'm going to have to leave you here. Do you remember the way to Rika's apartment if you need anything?"

"Yeah. I do. Um...are you...are you going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine. I'm more worried about you. I don't think you got much sleep last night." He reinforced this by resting a hand on your shoulder. "The hotel's been paid from now until three days after the party is to be held. So you can continue to stay here so long as you're dealing with invitations, but don't take that to mean you can't go stay with Seven."

"T-thank you."

You could feel him looking at you. Gaze focused on the ground before you, you didn't move, caught in his sight, however much of it he had. You must look awful to him.

He squeezed your shoulder, a hum of a breath leaving him, his tone as soothing as ever as he said, "Remember, if you need anything, Jumin and Luciel will be there, and if you can't get to them, text me. But try them first, they're more likely to respond right away."

"Okay."

"Do you need anything before I go?"

"Nah. Thank you."

He lingered for several moments more. But then he stood, and you felt cold in the spot his hand no longer was. "I'll see you later, then. Most likely at the party. Try not to worry too much, okay? We'll get everything sorted out soon."

"...yeah. Thank you again...for-for coming. And helping out. Thank you."

"Of course. As I said, I care about the RFA. I care about you."

With that, he headed out, and you were alone again.

Well, not entirely alone. It wasn't too long before the phone buzzed to signal that the other members were chatting amongst one another. You didn't join them, though. You lay down on the bed and curled up on your side, trying and failing not to think about what happened yesterday.

The bomb. The panic.

How you'd run from the situation.

How you refused that call and made V talk to you through text.

You noted to yourself that the next time he called, you should answer it. Talking might be hard, but you didn't want him to strain his eyes when they were already giving him problems. 

You were sorry. 

The strain felt physical, a horrid pressure in the back of your head, down your back, prickling along your skin. Fingers curled in your hair, and there was nothing you could change about it, what happened, what you did. You cursed yourself, not just for your own actions, but for the guilt you felt and for the poor way you were handling it. No one else did this. No one else felt like this. 

You told yourself you were only human, that mistakes happened. You tried to reason yourself out of your own self blame, but logic and emotion were two separate things. The only escape was distraction, but you couldn't bring yourself to move, to focus on anything else.

The phone buzzed, and buzzed, and buzzed from the chat, but you did not read what they were saying.

For now, you were on the bed, motionless, laying on your side, caught within yourself.

And for a long time, that was where you would stay.

You didn't know when you fell asleep, but you did know that the next time you opened your eyes, it was dark. Without getting up, you checked the phone, and saw that it was past midnight. Mouth pressing into an unhappy line, you opened up the messenger, and looked through the logs.

Worry, mostly. For Seven, for you. Complaining about where you were staying, bickering as to whether or not it was better for you to be away from the apartment by this point. Jumin had gone and sent bodyguards to everyone except for the two of you, given that your locations were a secret from everyone but V and Seven. Yoosung was angry with V, which wasn't anything new, and you felt bad for the guy. He'd been nothing but nice to everyone there.

Words of encouragement were sent your way, as if they'd anticipated the fact that you'd be reading through everything. 

Seven didn't come up in any of the chats, save for the one from that morning between the three of you. You hopped he wasn't mad, but you knew. You knew he was probably mad, and you knew you'd be avoiding him later because of it. 

With a slow exhale, you exited the chat room before anyone could log on and find you, and you went into your email to tend to the party guests.

Once that was done, you simply rolled over to try and go back to sleep. You weren't up for anything else. 


	5. Chapter 5

The party was getting closer and closer every day. 

You mostly kept to yourself since the incident in Rika's apartment. Talked to them when they talked to you, but avoided contact when possible. Seven came in every so often to report to the others, but he, too, was distant, something the rest of the RFA seemed hurt by. It wasn't anything that could be helped, he was dealing with the hacker. 

V didn't log in once since leaving you in the hotel. 

Yoosung complained whenever he was so much as mentioned, to the point you skipped over his messages whenever he started. Jumin constantly checked up on everyone's safety, and he tried to get your address so he could send you one of those bodyguards, but you didn't send it over. You weren't supposed to. Jaehee was buisy, and poor Zen was so stressed you were amazed he had the energy to log in at all.

As the list of party guests grew, so did the unease in the entire RFA. You wondered if it was even worth it by that point, if you all shouldn't just cancel it until everything calmed down. 

Then...traces of something bigger started to show.

A group connected to the hacker, known as Mint Eye. Seven couldn't discover their purpose, but the name kept cropping up everywhere. He reported to you all that he was leaving the apartment to investigate, and to be safe while he was gone. His parting words were a reminder that his work was dangerous, and he might not come back.

Things were getting a little too high stakes for you. You turned to Jumin, and suggested that the police get involved. Jumin assured you that he had people on his team that were just as good as the police, and requested that you try to calm down. 

Not twenty four hours after that, Seven came back in the chat.

"Mint Eye is a cult," he said, "Don't trust V, he's a part of it. He lied to me."

The chat exploded with questions, but Seven went on.

"Listen to me! Jumin, I need you to send reinforcements. There's too many people. I'm-"

And he left the messenger.

Before anything else could happen, before you could fully register what was going on, the app glitched, and everything disappeared save for a single name. Unknown.

"It looks like the redhead is spilling out all of our secrets. I hate him. Now we have to deal with this pesky cat he let out of the bag."

"What's going on?"

"You'll see soon enough."

Your fingers trembled. "Don't hurt anyone."

"We're going to do so much more than hurt him now that he's invaded our base. But you don't have to worry. We've no such plans for you."

You couldn't respond to that. While you tried to force yourself to think, to find questions to ask, to make any effort at all to reason with this guy, someone unlocked your door. It swung open, and strangers came in.

By instinct, you clenched your phone harder, barely noticing the way it buzzed as more messages were sent your way.

One of them stepped forward. He said, "You're coming with us. The savior wants to meet with you."

It looked like you were going to end up at their base one way or the other. There was no real semblance of a struggle, you backed away only for the man to take you by the shoulder and pull you out of the room. It was painfully easy for them to lead you out of the building, and into a waiting car. Once or twice, you tried to dig your feet into the ground, tried to call out, but your throat wouldn't cooperate and all it took was a sharp nudge to get you moving again.

They made you put an eye mask on, and then they drove. 

You curled in on yourself where you sat. The silence under the hum of the car was absolute, and you couldn't even try to escape out of one of the doors as you had a cult member on either side of you, blocking you off. Panic quickened your breath, but kept you rooted to the spot, unable to move without a great deal of effort involved.

Were they taking you to where Seven was? Would Seven still be alive when you got there?

What were their plans?

And...

And it hadn't at all escaped your attention that he'd not had a chance to leave his location behind before he was interrupted.

After all of that, you still had the phone, clenched tight. That was good, you could call for help, but not with them around. Swallowing, you adjusted your sweater sleeves to cover your hands, and you shifted the phone so that it was held tucked against one palm, conspicuous, hidden. Assuming Unknown didn't mess with it in a way that made the thing unusable, there was hope.

The best thing right now was to cooperate.

Cooperate, and wait for a chance to flee.


	6. Chapter 6

Rika was alive.

That was the first thing you learned upon reaching Mint Eye. She was alive, and she was this cult's leader. The savior that the other members talked about. Your plan going in involved agreeing to do whatever was asked of you, so that you might have a chance to get out later, but that plan very quickly fell apart the moment she tried to get you to drink something. It was a simple vial, the liquid was blue, and you didn't trust it in the slightest. 

In response, she sent you off to a cell, to 'reconsider' your position.

There you found Seven and V.

Seven called after one of the guards, calling him Saeran, only to turn and yell at V when the man ignored them and left. The aggression made you flinch away, but very quickly you picked up on the fact that Saeran and Seven were brothers, and that V had failed to protect the former after promising the later he would. By this point you were exhausted and more than overwhelmed. You didn't want to have any of this dispute redirected toward you.

But...

They were both worse off than you. Tired and bruised, you didn't think either of them had a good time, and the fact that they were fighting wasn't making the situation any easier.

Well. One of them was fighting. Seven was angry, V was just sitting there, apologizing, his voice strained. It made you feel sick seeing this, especially after having gotten to know Seven as someone safe to interact with. V murmured one more feeble, "I'm sorry." and Seven dropped all pretenses, and outright grabbed the man, shoving him into the cell bars.

Through that chill of fear, you felt your hands clench. "Hey!"

Before you could think about it, before you could stop to reconsider, you physically pushed yourself between the two of them. Your legs were weak, struggling to hold your weight, but you held firm. It was worse than when the strangers entered your room, but you didn't budge.

You snarled the words, "This _isn't helping!"_

"They hurt my brother!" he snapped back, and you leaned away, pressing unintentionally into V's chest, the man caught between you and the bars.

"This still isn't helping! We should be trying to find a way out, not acting like children!"

Soft pressure, light as air at your shoulders. V said, "You don't have to...I deserve this..."

 _"No."_ you said, the word cracking in your throat, and despite your every effort not to, tears rolled down your face. The stress was too much, there was way too much happening, and the frustration you felt blotted out everything else. Those tears burned with fury, but to cry during an argument was a weakness, and you stared Seven down. Stared, unable to keep yourself from blinking but backing your gaze with defiance nevertheless. Your parents always put you down when you cried, and you waited for him to do the same, refusing to look away and ready to yell back at him the moment he tried to discredit you.

Not that you knew what you were going to say, but that was beside the point. His focus should be safety, not blame, not now.

"Fine." he said, and the word bit into you, but he stepped back. His arms folded, and he looked away first. "You're right. We can't do anything if we don't get out first."

V started, "I'm-"

"Don't say you're sorry. I'm sick of hearing your lies."

The dismissive tone more than rubbed you the wrong way, but it was enough. As long as they weren't at each other's throats. As if to soothe, V wrapped moved his arms from your shoulders to wrap about your waist. The top of his head rest against your own, warmth seeping into you from the contact. You felt yourself stiffen under the sudden embrace, a shock sparking from every inch of skin that touched yours.

You weren't used to contact to begin with, and while he _had_ offered a friendly shoulder squeeze here and there, it was nothing compared to a full on hug. What little control you had on yourself broke, and you hated it, hated this part of yourself that couldn't handle what was happening. Your chest heaved a sob against your will, and you doubled over, trembling, shaking, held up only by the arms around you.

You turned and pressed your face into his chest, curling up in his hold, fingers gripping onto the cloth of his robe. You hid yourself against him, embarrassed, and waited for your tears to ease. 

It took a long time, far, far too long, and all the while he held you.

"It's okay," he hushed, fingers in your hair, a hand rubbing circles in your back. "I'm going to do everything in my power to get everyone out of here. This is my fault...my responsibility. I'm going to fix this."

There was no negating these words. Even if you could think of an argument, you were struggling just to even out your breath, just to get a hold of yourself. 

The seconds stretched into minutes, and finally, you managed to pull away. A hand raised to rub the moisture from your face, your looked up, and...you saw his eyes. 

They were still red. Scarred. Damaged. With no sunglasses to hide it.

Those eyes looked down on you, but they did not focus. Couldn't focus.

He raised his hands to find the sides of your head, but it took a moment for him to find. Fingers deftly using your shoulders to find their way upward. He rest his forehead against yours and, though they looked at you, you knew they weren't seeing anything.

"Are you alright?"

You swallowed. Again. Once more. Reaching up, you detached his hands from you as carefully as you could, looking down, away from him, unable to stand meeting his gaze even if he was blind. Your voice shook, but you managed to speak through it. 

"I'm...I'm fine..." You took a breath. "I'm fine. I...um..."

Looking away from him, and back toward Seven, who had his back to the both of you. Arms folded, radiating hostility. 

"I...S-Seven... _Seven._ I have...I have a, uh...I-I have a phone."

He turned at that. "...really?"

"Yeah." 

You gave him the phone, and soon he was pouring over the thing, full attention on it. With a sigh, you stepped back, V pressing into your side the moment you were once more close enough. He didn't seem eager to let you be on your own after that little stunt.

You were sorry...but under that guilt, you very deeply wanted the contact. 

It wasn't long at all before Seven spoke up, "There. I've sent Jumin our location."

"...will he be coming soon, Luciel?" V asked.

"Tch. Not soon enough for my liking."

"So...do we..." you said. "Do we... just wait?"

"It seems that is exactly what we're going to do. Might as well get comfortable. It was a long drive up here."

 At least help was coming. At least there was that. For now, all there was left to do was show a little patience. You closed your eyes, keeping close to V. There was a sharp ringing in your ears, loud and piercing in the silence around you. You listened to V's breath to try and ignore it, your fingers brushing over a loose string on his robe. Tempted to pull on it, tempted to rip it out, but you didn't. You just played with it, absent, focused only on the sensation of the coil between your fingers.

It was easier to loose yourself in that texture, a reprieve from everything. 

A numb void, a loop of repetition. 

Time passed, you don't know how long. V eventually sat down, and you followed, attached to his hip, for now.

The cold ground contrasted with his body heat.

Thing was, when the door to the basement opened, and someone came to let you all out of your cell, it wasn't any of Jumin's men. It was Saeran, and he said, "The savior wants to see the three of you."


	7. Chapter 7

You were alone, now. 

Not entirely alone, no, there were people around you, just no one you knew. Doctors, nurses, buisy with their jobs. They'd checked to make sure you were uninjured, and then they had you wait in a corner. And that corner was where you stayed. Safe and unharmed, though not well.

Too much happened too quickly. It was a flurry of information that you were struggling to process.

Rika brought you, V and Seven in to talk to. An effort to convince you to her side by showing you the entire cult, either though amazement or fear. Both, so it seemed. 

V fell to his knees before her, and pleaded with her to let the rest of the RFA go. To take only him, to have him be the only victim in this. Convinced, somehow, that if she destroyed him, no one else would be at risk.

You learned many things as that conversation went on.

She injured V's eyes. V did not seek help for this injury, because allowing himself to go blind proved his love for her. He told her it was okay for her to hurt him so long as she let the RFA go. He told her she could kill him if she so wished.

Just let everyone else go.

You kept back away from them, helpless but to watch this exchange. 

Every attempt on V's part to appease her were rejected. Rika asserted that everyone in the RFA, save for V, whom she deemed unworthy, would be brought over into Mint Eye. Saeran didn't approve of this.

Everyone was yelling at once, and with all eyes focused on the savior, no one noticed Saeran's increasing anger. After a life time of being raised to pick up on every little change in atmosphere, you noticed the moment his voice grew even slightly more terse than normal. He called Rika a traitor, accused her of lying to him about Saeyoung. Saeyoung, Luciel, Seven, his brother was supposed to die, she'd promised revenge and she hadn't delivered.

He blamed V.

And he had a gun. 

Unable to see what was going on, unable to hear the venom in Saeran's words, V called out to Rika. He asked her what was going on, what was happening, as Saeran took aim. Without thinking, you pushed him down, shoved V to the floor, the bullet sailing over both your heads. That gun turned on you, the man coming forward, barking an order for you to get out of the way.

V himself tried to push you off, but you didn't move. You curled around him, your head ducked under his own, your body covering every vital area you could reach. If Saeran wanted to get to him, he'd have to go through you. Every nerve in your body clenched and coiled, your mind white with fear, thoughtless, instinctive. Even if you'd wanted to get out of the way, you wouldn't have been able to.

No bullet came for you, and even now, you weren't entirely sure why.

Perhaps Seven restrained him. Perhaps other members joined in. Perhaps Saeran himself didn't want to kill V if it meant killing someone else, too(Somehow, you doubted that one, but you'd like to believe).

Jumin's people came. You were all rescued. None of the police were contacted, the RFA dealt with this issue on their own terms, outside of the law. Seven went off to stay with Saeran, unable to offer moral support given the circumstances but wanting to be of some use anyway. V and Rika were separated, thank the heavens, and each taken away to different parts of the hospital.

Hopefully, they could do something about V's eyes.

And you...were left alone.

Not alone for long. Somewhere, someone asked you for contact information for your family, and while you still couldn't remember their phone number, you did have an address. You told the doctors that address, and they got into touch with your parents that way.

Rika's phone in hand, you did what you could to update everyone what was going on in the chat. They said things, bombarded you with questions you couldn't retain, your words short and stumbling, filled with typos. You could at least tell them everyone was alive. 

Barely reading through anything they said, you asked them to take care of their friends. Seven and Saeran are going to have a bad time, and V is going to have a bad time on top of being weighed down by guilt. You told them you know they're not going to be able to trust them again, you recognize fully that they're angry, and it's understandable, but these people need help, they need not to be hurt or judged right now.

You asked them not to yell at or insult them. Seven's brother was severely hurt, and V just got forced out of an abusive relationship.

And you tell them to support one another. Support each other because sometimes support is all you have. Because support is more important than they think. The RFA itself isn't a bad thing, it does so much good. They should keep doing it. Stay together, stay close as friends, and make it through this.

You tell them you believe in them.

And you apologize, though you don't have a reason outside of an abstract feeling of having done something wrong, rather than having actually done anything. They wouldn't understand. Could they?

They were sending you messages all over the place, but you still couldn't read. You closed the app, and half dropped it onto the table where it continued to vibrate every few seconds. Too much noise, too much light. Everything hurts. You put your hands over your eyes and try to concentrate on your breathing instead. 

Your parents came. Stomped into the room, demanding to know what you were doing, where you went. Vanishing on them for weeks? Weeks without a word? You could have been kidnapped for all they knew! 

Enraged. Snarling. Cursing. There wasn't anything they said that you hadn't heard before. 

Fighting back the urge to return that anger, you looked up at them, and you said in as calm a voice as you could manage, "I _was_ kidnapped."

This was one of the important things about abuse. Abusive relationships were almost never abusive every single moment of every day. There were lulls, moments of peace. Times that were good, even. Your parents didn't want you to be in danger, almost as much as they demanded your subservience. Thus...you had to use this to your advantage. For your own sake, you had to inspire pity in those who hurt you.

You told them that you'd been kidnapped, taken to a building and made to stay there against your will. You played up the drama and never once brought up the fact that you could have left and were just putting off coming home.

You told them that you owed your life to certain people who contacted you while you were held captive. You told them that the police had already been contacted, and that the people who grabbed you were going to jail.

As you talked, that edge eased. You even got a hug from your mother. Your father was now angry on your behalf.

It was the best outcome you could have hoped for.

They took you from the hospital. Rika's phone remained where it was on the table, vibrating still.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoo boy! Seven chapters in and I finally got all the characters where I wanted them.  
> It's been a bit of a ride. Would you believe everything I've written so far has been to set up a few scenes in particular? I'm having fun writing but I'm really looking forward to the coming chapters.
> 
> I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that's been reading so far~ Hope you're enjoying this as much as I am.  
> Until next chapter, friends. ^^


	8. Chapter 8

There's a comfort in the familiar, a knot of tension within you that eases upon settling back into the enclosed walls of your home. Within just a few short days, everything feels normal again. The RFA, the cult, it's almost like it never happened, and you fully intend to just go on with your life.

Loneliness settles over you like a blanket, as do old coping mechanisms. You take to the computer, play games, brows social media. No phone, but that was fine. You'd get a new one eventually, and until then, it just meant you didn't have the internet with you when you left your room.

Your mother and father settled into their routines, too. Gratitude that you'd returned safe only lasted so long, and you were soon walking on eggshells around their ever changing moods. Made sure to try and do little things around the house so they couldn't yell at you for not doing them without being asked, particularly when it came to dishes in the sink. They bickered and snapped among themselves, and you stayed out of their way.

It goes without saying you didn't attend the party. 

There was no need for further contact. You'd done what was asked of you, and now everyone could move on. They didn't need you anymore. You wished every one of them well, but there was nothing left you could do. 

Which was why the last thing you expected was for your mother to knock on your bedroom door and tell you that you had company. She said that they were from the group of people that helped you out before and they wanted to see you.

Out on the porch stood Seven and V both, waiting. Your mother stayed inside while you came out, going back to whatever it was she'd been doing before. A frown tugged at the corners of your mouth, arms wrapping about your chest. They both looked better than before. Bruises and various scrapes all but completely healed, and it seemed they'd both gotten a good deal of rest. V had his sunglasses back, so you couldn't tell if his eyes were doing any better, but you hopped the hospital took care of that. You'd like to think they'd at least be able to ease the pain of his injury, though given the damage done, you doubted he'd ever see again. 

You glanced from one to the other, avoiding their gazes. After what happened, you hadn't thought they'd be able to share a space with one another peacefully, yet here they were, standing side by side. Not touching, there was a certain distance, but just the fact they were both there spoke volumes in of itself.

Seven held a stack of papers in his hands. Documents from the party?

You swallowed, and said, "Hey...what's up?"

"We thought we'd stop by and see how you were doing." V said. He stepped forward, a hand reaching out to rest on the wall of your house. Keeping himself grounded. "How've you been? It couldn't have been easy... have you been taking care of yourself?"

You snort, covering your nose a bit too late to muffle the sound. A twinge of warmth broke through your nerves, briefly touched. It was just like everyone in the RFA to ask that. This little habit of theirs, fussing over one another, it was endearing, and you were happy to hear it was still a thing. 

"Yes...I'm uh...I'm doing well. You?"

"Good. As good as can be expected..." He turned his head slightly, focusing toward the wall, then turned back toward you. "You disappeared so quickly, I was almost worried Mint Eye was still active...but...anyway, we came to ask if you'd like to continue acting as the guest organizer for the RFA. Rika's old apartment is still empty, and well...it's yours, if you'd like it."

You bit the inside of your cheek, wincing. "Um...I-I...I appreciate the offer...but I can't. My family worries about me when I'm gone."

"Please reconsider. You've been of great use to our association. And besides, we enjoy having you around."

"...I-I can't. I'm sorry." You take a step back. Inching toward the door. Not like you intended to run, that would be rude, but the desire was there nevertheless.

Seven let out a sigh. Sighs were never good, he was upset.

"I didn't say anything in the chat when I did my background check on you," Seven said, coming closer. "I didn't think it was right to bring it up back then. But I did discuss things with V, and we'd already decided on letting you stay with us after the party was over. You weren't supposed to come back here. I'd say it was a stupid move on the hospital's part, but Jumin didn't know, so of course none of the staff did." 

"I...what? What do you mean? I was supposed to come back here the entire time."

"No. We were going to try and prevent this. And it would have been so much easier on everyone if we'd had a chance to talk to you before you left."

"I don't-I don't understand..."

Seven held out the stack of papers. You took them from him and looked them over, a cold prickle going down your back barely two sentences in. They were printouts of a website, one that you went to somewhat often. One that you went to in order to vent. These pages detailed the things your family has said to you, the arguments, the threats. 

All your cries of anger at every injustice, cold fury plain and simple in text format. 

They were quiet as you skimmed through what was, in essence, a record of every blog post you had ever made on your chosen website.

Your breath strained in your chest, the damning evidence of what you had said right there in your hands, and you glanced toward the door. They could tell them, they could tell your parents everything you ever said about them, and you didn't think there was any way to recover from that. This could ruin what peace of mind you had.  You clutched the stack of papers, taking another step back away from the two of them. These things had to be disposed of before your parents could read any of it. You could tear it up, put it in the garbage, hide it under trash. 

V seemed to sense your panic. "I apologize that we must bring these memories up...but please understand, we're trying to help."

"These were private. N-no one I know is supposed to read any of this."

"I'm sorry."

"Why would you...?"

"We can't leave you here."

"I can't leave."

"Please-"

"Y-you don't understand." Your voice was strangled, hushed, and you glanced away from the papers and toward the door again. Looking back, focusing on them. They were worried. Of course they'd be worried, but that only made things worse. "I _can't_ leave. It's-it's not that bad, I-"

Seven's voice raised, and you cringed. "I've personally read every single post, and it _is_ that bad. The things they've done to you are not okay. They've no right to treat you like they do."

"They aren't always like that."

The hacker's mouth pressed into a thin line. "Being nice every now and then doesn't negate abusive behavior the rest of the time."

"Try to relax." V said. He came forward, using the wall as a guide, and you'd run out of porch to step back onto. "Everything's going to be fine."

"I can't leave." You clutched the papers to your chest. "I-I can't come back if I leave."

"You shouldn't _want_ to come back." Seven said.

"I...I should go inside..."

"Wait," V said. "Let's talk about this. Just talk. We're not going to force you into anything."

"V." Seven started to argue.

V shook his heard. Repeated himself, "We're not going to force you into anything. Just talk to us."

Before anything more could be said, the door opened, and it was all you could do to keep from dashing back into the house. Your mom stepped out, "How are things going out here?"

Instantly, Seven was at her side. His tone lifted, bright, cheery, a throwback to the man you'd grown to know in the chat that was constantly joking. "Things are going swell, ma'am! Actually, while we're here, I was hoping to talk to you about our group! The FRA! Have they mentioned it yet? The FRA?"

"No, actually..."  
  
"Good! Let me get my pen and pad...oh, can we bring this inside? My allergies are getting to me."

Just like that, Seven lured your mother back into the house, and you were left alone with V.


	9. Chapter 9

The air around you was painfully stiff in the moments after your mother left. Your attention lingered on the door, those papers still clutched to your chest. Though you highly doubted Seven would relay any of this to either parent, a very big part of you protested the idea that he was alone with her. He could tell her everything. The very fact that it was within his ability set you on edge, there was a reason you didn't want anyone you knew to have access to that blog.

V broke the silence. "I'd really like you to consider our offer. I've said this before, but I do think of everyone in the RFA precious to me. I hate that you have to deal with their mistreatment."

He was just a few feet away, his voice hushed. Just as quiet and reasonable as ever, with a naturally soothing air that seemed to clash with the situation.

You shook your head, "I can't leave, V..."

"What are you afraid of?"

No more porch left. He didn't come any closer, but the fact of the matter was that you were still backed up into a corner, and despite knowing he couldn't see you, there was still a heaviness to his gaze. You could feel it like a pressure on your skin, like you were under a microscope, like you were being judged. All you wanted was to go back into your room, where it was safe.

Where you could pretend there wasn't a problem at all.

"If I leave and things don't...things don't work out...then they won't let me come back. I won't have anywhere to go."

"We won't abandon you... _I_ won't abandon you. If things go poorly with the others, I'll still do everything in my power to help."

"You shouldn't have to do that."

"I want to. I...I want to help _someone._ I couldn't do anything for Rika, but I can do something for you."

Rika. Yes, you should have expected her to come up. You turned from him, anything to escape his stare, the papers crinkling under your grip. Taking a moment, you tried to settle your breathing, to force yourself to translate your argument into words that could be understood. Fighting against the instinct to avoid confrontation, the need to give in to whatever you were told. Your throat felt tight, and above anything else, you had to keep calm. You could not cry. If you broke down and your mother came out at the wrong time...

And that was the main risk here. Seven was distracting her, but she could come out without any warning at all. You couldn't allow yourself to be caught doing anything bad.

"You shouldn't...you n-need to focus on yourself right now."

"I'm going to be fine. You don't need to worried about me."

"What happened with Rika wasn't okay."

"...it wasn't her fault."

"I'm not...saying it was. I'm not saying you have to blame her. I...you were hurt, and you need to recover."

"I've had enough time, the hospital released me."

"That's not what I..." You let out a slow breath. "R-Rika hurt you, V. She hurt you and y-you let her. I saw you in the...in the thing. You _told her_ to hurt you, and I know you were trying to...protect the RFA, and I know you're separated from her now, but you need to recover from...from that. You need to worry about yourself, V."

You felt him move, a shiver down your back as the air shifted. "I did what needed to be done."

"You said that...that uh...that you were happy she blinded you...because she was the one that did it. That's not good."

"Regardless of what I said, it's a mute point. They won't let us see each other."

"And what if _I_ hurt you?"

A pause. Several seconds that felt longer than they should. Against your every effort, your eyes were welling up, the world blurring as your voice shook, your throat threatening to lock up.

"You need...to recover." you said. "You need to care about yourself. You need to...to not...you need to learn how not to always sacrifice yourself for others. Especially if that person is hurting you."

His voice was closer now. "...do you think you'll hurt me?"

Releasing your death grip on the papers, holding them only with one arm, you raised a hand to rub at the tears before they could fall. "I don't know. I don't know what I'd be without them. And...you read the things I wrote! I-I get so angry, and..."

"You've every right to be upset after the things they've done."

"N-no..."

"You do. What they did was wrong."

"They're my parents."

"Rika was my fiance." A hand brushed your shoulder. Searching, slightly clumsy. Another hand found your other shoulder, and they both encircled you. You shuddered, a sob breaking out at the contact, the hug overwhelming your already frayed emotions. His chest pressed into your back and his face rested in your hair, making energy crackle though your touch starved skin. "You can't tell me I need to recover and then refuse to do so yourself. Especially on the basis of what you might do."

"But..."

"If you hurt me, we'll talk about it. We'll figure things out as they happen...but you deserve to be happy, and you deserve to have a chance to get away from here. So please let me help you."

"...they-they need me."

"You need to worry about yourself right now." He lightly tugged you away from the edge of the porch. "Come with me. It'll be easier if we leave before they come back."

"What about Seven...?"

"Luciel will follow."

You weren't convinced this was a good idea. In fact, everything within you told you that this was a very bad thing... but he coaxed you away from the door, and you helped him down the stairs. 

And you couldn't believe you were doing this...

But you were walking away from your house, one of his arms lingering about your shoulders, struggling still to catch your breath and stop the flow of tears.


	10. Chapter 10

The days following your departure were some of the worst in your life.

It didn't take long at all for the guilt to settle in. Horror curled inside you at what you had done, fear for your future and what would come next, the knowledge that you'd abandoned the people who'd raised you for a stranger's words. It'd been so much easier for you to adapt to the RFA when you'd been under the impression that it was only temporary, but now, now that there was no going back, the change was overwhelming.

You chose to leave. You didn't flee in the heat of an argument, you didn't go off as a way to spite. You chose this.

And a very big part of you was angry at both Seven and V for coming and pushing you away from your parents, for making things so unbearably complicated. It wasn't their fault, and you knew that, you knew that they were just trying to help. You knew that being away from your family probably was the best thing for you. Despite all your attempts to justify the situation you were in, the fact was that your family was still toxic, and separation from them was the best outcome you could hope for.

As V promised, you were given Rika's old apartment. You were also given the phone you'd left back at the hospital. You _weren't_ given your original phone, the one your parents had the number for. You could hazard a guess that Seven got rid of it before your arrival.

The food was restocked. There were clothes in the closet that were just your size. They'd gone all out for you.

Even entering the chat to catch yourself up on the going's on the past several days, you found nothing but kindness and hopeful messages for you. Back when you asked them to look after V, to rely on one another, all those messages you couldn't read the first time around...they'd voiced concern, asked you why it felt like you were saying goodbye, panicked when you signed out without another word. You felt bad for that, but given the situation...you couldn't have helped it, either.

Everything they'd done, V, and Seven, and the entire RFA, you felt grateful to them. The fact that they cared was heartwarming, and it only made the resentment you felt under all of it that worse. 

So you withdrew from them.

You stayed out of the chatroom, avoided interaction, refused to text. More than anything else, you needed time to sort yourself out. Needed to calm down at let yourself adapt to the new routine, because despite what your every instinct told you, you knew this would pass. You knew what the effects of abuse were, you knew this hostility and self blame were symptoms. 

V didn't leave you to stay in that apartment alone. Even with Seven keeping an eye on you through the cameras, V insisted that you have someone physically close to you at all times. For the sake of safety. And besides, Seven couldn't spare his attention all the time, not while looking after his brother. This was best for everyone. 

Just as he'd always been before, V was calm and understanding. He let you sleep in, and fussed over you when you didn't feel like eating. He was also far too self-sacrificing for his own good. This was something you made sure you were aware of in even your worst moments, biting your tongue and keeping your distance so as not to snap when things got bad. While you didn't want to take your frustration out on _anyone_ , you especially didn't want to do it to someone who you knew wouldn't fight back. Abuse was a cycle, a horrible, corrupting cycle. You'd touched on that fear when V convinced you to leave, but that fear still remained. 

Those that have been abused are more likely to become abusive themselves, or otherwise continue to enter into relationships where they are abused, unable to break free of routine. V showed signs of the later, and you felt you were showing signs of both. Above all else, you would not let the former happen to you. You would not become your parents. You would not hurt others like they hurt you.

To that end, when you were able to, when you felt you were in control of yourself enough to do so, you fussed over him as much as he fussed over you. 

You made sure he ate when you did, and you fixed meals for you both regularly so he wasn't stuck with all the work. When he insisted on taking the couch while you take the bed, and he refused to hear any possibility of the reverse, you suggested that you take turns, switching every night. This relationship was going to be equal, you weren't going to allow for anything less.

As those first few days melted into weeks, things got easier. The tension eased, and though there were still moments of panic, you didn't feel like you were being smothered in your own self. 

You didn't have to distance yourself from him as much.

The both of you were careful not to bring up your family. You didn't talk about Rika, either. You kept to safe topics, hobbies, movies, things the two of you liked. It hurt to hear him talk about his love and passion for art and photography and know that there was nothing that could be done for his eyes. 

The two of you talked about the RFA, about each member in turn. You commented that you thought Elizabeth the Third was adorable, and he promised that one day soon he'd take you to Jumin's house and you'd get to pet her. You talked about how Jaehee needed a break, and about how you hopped Zen's next acting job went well. V cared about the RFA more than anything else, and it showed in every word he said about them.

It was endearing, and you told him that. You told him he was a good person, and insisted that he was when he tried to argue with you. That brought a faint smile out of him.

V touched you often. A hand over yours, fingers brushing through your hair, hugs that never failed to send electricity down your back. You relaxed into him every time, the fact that you weren't used to any kind of attention showing all too clearly with each and every moment of contact. As you grew more accustomed to it, you started touching him, too.

The first time you hugged him, you felt him stiffen and then go limp against you, letting out a sigh of what might have been relief. Just like what you did when he held you.

He, too, wasn't used to this. You shared the same problem.

About three weeks in, you started coming into the chat again. The moment you did, every single member came on to tell you they were glad you were okay. V had been keeping them updated on your well-being through phone calls, and though they knew you needed the space, they were happy that you were finally able to come on to see them. 

Even Seven was there, joking about the fact that he could see you even without the messenger, trying to keep the atmosphere positive. This brought the rest of the members to complain that out of six of them, only two had met you in person. You laughed at that, a quiet snort that prompted V to ask what was so funny. Smile lingering, you went back and read aloud for him everything they were saying.

He asked you to tell them he said, "Maybe you'll all get your chance to meet them at the next party."

This, of course, brought up the subject of when the next party would be. And this time, you all decided to hold it a month from that day.


	11. Chapter 11

V's fingers squeezed your own, a gesture you responded to in kind.

Although parties were fun, and more importantly, they were for a good cause, there was still an issue with the number of people. You weren't okay with crowds, and V had trouble navigating with all the sound around you. The both of you compensated for each other by sticking together, and while neither of you would trade this for anything, it could be stressful.

As the party coordinator, it was your job to greet everyone you invited. Depending on the party, it could be anywhere between twelve to forty people. Once everyone had a chance to say hi, they all went to the back room where there were drinks and snacks prepared. The most shocking guests were always the ones that weren't human. Smug, Longcat, Pluto...you didn't know how the RFA found these guys but it never failed to hit you when you thought it was someone in a costume but then nope, it's an actual vampire.

A sigh of relief left you as the last of them went by, eyes closed for a moment, just to let them rest.

"You did well today," V said, leaning close, his voice a warm murmur. "I'm proud of you."

You nudged him, light, almost playful. "Hey. I couldn't do it without you. I'm proud of you, too."

Some days, days like this, you could forget about your past and live in the moment. You could spend time with him, and with your friends, and you were happy. The both of you had come far, farther than you though possible.

V was endlessly supportive, but more careful about his own well being, and you found yourself opening up more over time.

Your parents never got the chance to contact you, and Rika was forbidden from coming anywhere near him.

"Hey! What are you guys doing over here all by yourselves?" 

You opened your eyes to find Seven, with Saeran in toe. Raising a hand in greeting, you said, "Just taking a minute. We'll catch up soon."

"Alright. But don't forget, you're joining us for ice cream later!"

"Of course," V said.

And you agreed. "Yeah."

You watched them head off, joining the guests in the other room. V's hand left your own to wrap about your shoulders, and you leaned into him. In the quiet lull, you said, "I'm glad I met you."

You were met with a chuckle. "And I, you."

In another moment, the two of you would head in, but for now, you reflected upon everything that happened.

The cycle was broken, and things really could get better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are, end of the last chapter.
> 
> Thank you everyone for reading, and thank you for your reviews. ^^ I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did~


End file.
